Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., has given $11,000 from his campaign account to a Missouri organization that combats child abuse, the same amount of money that the political action committee of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert had given to Blunt’s campaign.
Hastert, a Republican, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 months in prison for violating federal banking laws in a case that revealed he had paid hush money and had sexually abused high school students while coaching wrestling.
Missouri Democrats have pressed Blunt for months on whether he would keep $11,000 that Hastert’s Keep Our Mission PAC had donated to the Missouri senator in 2009 and 2013.
Blunt campaign spokeswoman Burson Snyder said late Wednesday that the Friends of Roy Blunt would donate $11,000 to Missouri KidsFirst, which she described as “an organization committed to ending child abuse.” The organization is based in Jefferson City.
Emphasis Mine.
Why it took him this long to do the right thing is unknown but my guess is Blunt needs all the money he can get to fend off Secretary of State Jason Kander (D. MO) and maybe he’s afraid of what Donald Trump’s candidacy could do to him in the general election. But that’s something he doesn’t want to talk about:
Not everyone is eager to show their hand about how they intend run alongside, or against, Trump. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who quipped about a campaign of “The Ronald and the Donald” last month, declined to discuss the matter on Wednesday. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) similarly rebuffed questions about how he’d run with Trump at the top of the ticket and said he had “stopped analyzing” the unpredictable presidential race.
This month, the latest pair of voter disenfranchisement bills reached the Missouri Senate after being passed out of the Missouri House earlier in the year. House Joint Resolution 53, sponsored by state Rep. Tony Dugger (R-Hartville), is a proposed constitutional amendment to allow for a voter photo ID requirement. House Bill 1631, sponsored by state Rep. Justin Alferman (R-Hermann), would implement the requirement if voters were to pass the amendment. HJR passed the House 116-40, and HB passed 114-39 – both votes strictly along party lines with veto-proof majorities.
If it becomes law, Missouri voters would have to show one of the following forms of identification: a non-expired Missouri driver's license, a non-expired Missouri non-driver's license ID card, or any other non-expired document issued by the State of Missouri or the U.S. government that contains a photograph of the person in question, such as a military ID or a U.S. passport. Anyone who does not have one of the approved forms of photo ID could cast a provisional ballot, which would only be counted if that person presents a valid form of photo ID within three days.
“This measure, which would require Missourians to have a very specific government-issued photo ID in order to vote, is posing as a way to prevent voter fraud – even though there has never been a reported case of voter impersonation fraud in Missouri,” argues Secretary of State Jason Kander, the state’s highest election official.
Kander estimates that, if passed, the measure would disenfranchise more than 250,000 eligible Missouri voters – with minorities, the elderly, the economically disadvantaged and students being the most affected. The majority are people who don’t have a driver’s license, the most common form of photo ID. The remainder – mostly the elderly or disabled – have expired driver’s licenses. The vast majority of those affected are likely Democratic voters, hence the perennial Republican attempt to pass voter photo ID laws.
Kander has also been working hard to solidify his base:
The “Black Community for Kander” campaign was launched in support of Jason Kander’s candidacy for U.S. Senate the morning of Monday, April 18 in a press conference held at Exodus Art Gallery, 5075 Delmar Blvd. in St. Louis.
St. Louis License Collector Mavis Thompson, state Rep. Karla May and St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones, all Democrats from St. Louis, expressed their support for Kander, a Democrat from Kansas City, who hopes to unseat Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Roy Blunt.
Thompson credited Kander for his work as Missouri secretary of state, his current elected position, where he has opposed “unnecessarily restrictive voter photo ID laws,” which have a disparate impact on low-income, elderly and African-American voters.
She also praised him for his presence “on the ground in Ferguson”– Kander later said he has visited Ferguson more than any other community in the state since the police killing of Michael Brown Jr.– and his support for increasing the minimum wage in Missouri.
May, who served with Kander in the Missouri House of Representatives, spoke of his character as a U.S. Army veteran (he served in Afghanistan) and a public servant. “He will help usher in a new generation of leadership,” May said. “He has stood with us countless times.”
Jones, who also served with Kander in the Missouri House, said he is an action agent. “A lot of people run for office to be somebody,” Jones said. “Few run to do something. Jason ran to do something.”
She echoed the sentiment that Kander is a white Democrat whom black Democrats have been able to reply upon for solidarity. “We all know Jason,” Jones said, “and his commitment to our community.”
And to get young voters out to the polls:
Junior Evan Chiarelli said that when he came to MU, “it was squarely on my scrawny shoulders to pay for tuition.”
Like many students, Chiarelli applied for student loans to help pay for the costs of attending MU, which he said were especially high as he was an out-of-state student. Chiarelli expects to graduate with $47,000 in student loans.
On Monday, Chiarelli and several other students discussed their financial situations and shared their personal stories at a roundtable discussion on college affordability held by Jason Kander, Missouri Secretary of State and candidate for U.S. Senate. The event, held at Memorial Student Union, focused on topics such as student loans, options to make college more affordable, and challenges of financial difficulty.
Kander said that the large amount of student debt in the U.S., which he estimated combined to be $1.2 trillion, was an issue that would affect more than just current students.
“It’s a generational issue for us and for the next generation,” Kander said at the event. “Student debt causes people to push off financial milestones and this affects our economy.”
Kander suggested options such as capping interest rates and letting students refinance their loans.
“Our goal should be to let people make the best decisions for their future and their community,” Kander said.
Kander knows how to win tough races, has been a hell of a fundraiser, outraising Blunt in Q1 funding and is working hard to unite his base. This race presents a great opportunity for Team Blue. Click here to donate and get involved with Kander’s campaign.